Dumb It Down, Will Ya?!!!—Plus a Video Interview with The Sales Lion

I had an ‘SEO Expert’ call me last week and this was his opening line: “Mr. Sheridan, do you realize your site is not optimized for many important keywords in your niche?”

As soon as I heard this question, I debated having a lot of fun with the guy and continuing the conversation, or just simply letting him be and allow my pity to quickly end the conversation.

I chose the latter but as I hung up the phone, a simple thought came to mind: ‘This guy is too dumb to dumb it down…and he’ll never make money because of it.’

Yeah, kinda strong, but it’s true.

The Curse of Knowledge is Getting Worse

My friend the ‘SEO Expert’ wasn’t different than most folks though. In fact, his actions represent the majority—in all industries, niches, and segments.

In the early days of this blog, when I had like 5 readers ;-), I talked extensively about the Curse of Knowledge, and how most business owners and employees use a vernacular well above their clients, thus destroying common sense communication and sales in general. And as I continue down this road of teaching and speaking about sales and marketing, I’m seeing the Curse of Knowledge more and more and more.

Just last week, as I was speaking to a variety of SEOs and marketers at the MarketingSherpa Optimization Summit (which was awesome btw!!!), I asked the group a very simple question:

“Everyone (in the world) knows what optimization is at this point, don’t they?”

As I expected, the majority of people in the room shook their head in the affirmative—another sign that most simply don’t understand their clients and prospects.

My follow up went something like this:

“Actually, NO. Most people have no clue what the word ‘Optimization’ is. In fact, 95% of all business owners still don’t know what a ‘keyword’ is. Furthermore, most of the people in the SEO and marketing industry use a slew of ‘common words and phrases’ that very few small businesses actually ‘get’.”

Stupid Acronyms!

And speaking of common words and phrases that most people don’t get, I’ve got to take a second to mention a second curse—The Curse of Acronyms.

I’ve got to tell you, in general, I hate acronyms (with the exception of Davinas 😉 ). They stink. (except TSL of course, which is the coolest!! 😉 )They assume people have a clue when they don’t. And often times they kill good conversation and ultimately cost people (that’d be you and me) lots of money. Here are a few examples of the most commonly used:

ROI (Return on Investment)

ROS (Return on Sales)

B2B (Business to Business)

B2C (Business to Consumer)

CMO (Chief Marketing Officer)

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

CPC (Cost Per Click)

CTR (Click Through Rate)

SMBs (Small Medium Businesses)

Although I could go on and on with a list of acronyms, I’ll stop there and just say this:

If you’re utilizing acronyms all of the time in your sales, marketing, and content—you’re losing lots of money. Yeah, sure there are many people that know what they mean, but there are many more that don’t know what the heck you’re talking about– they’re just too embarrassed to admit it.

This rule obviously also applies to any other industry or trade specific words that are applied to your niche.

Our Goal is NOT to be a Genius

At the risk of sounding a bit prideful (please don’t take it that way), the #1 compliment I receive regarding my speaking and writing is this:

‘Marcus, you said it in such a simple way…now I get it!’

Do I ever get accused of being a genius? Nope, but that’s not the goal. The goal is that everybody gets what the heck it is I’m saying.

When we speak or when we write, we have a choice to make folks—We can try to impress ourselves or we can solely work to enlighten the audience. But be rest assured, the more ‘big words’, acronyms, and scientific stuff you say—the less you’ll actually communicate a lick of value to your audience (at least in most cases).

Because I have the ability to simplify subjects, and because I try to never speak above my audience (whether it be a single client or a room of 500 people), I’m beginning to experience tremendous success in my life. As an example, I’ve been traveling around the country in the last few weeks to help existing Hubspot clients find success with their inbound marketing.

But do I bring any more knowledge to the table that Hubspot doesn’t already do with their hundreds of awesome employees, thousands of articles, and slew of helpful videos?? Nope, not at all, but the one thing I can do pretty darn well is explain how the system works to average Joe and Jills that have a desire but simply don’t ‘get it’.

So that’s the challenge folks—start dumbing it down and stop assuming your clients know more than they do. If you do this, I can assure you the results will be astounding….

Video Time!

While I was in Atlanta last week, I met an incredible guy named Michael Aagaard. What’s amazing about Michael is that although he is very young, he has turned down some high paying and secure internet marketing jobs to do his own thing and be his own boss. He even flew all the way across the Atlantic from Denmark (where he lives) to attend the SEO conference I spoke at. After Michael and I met and he attended my seminar, he invited me to do a video interview for all his followers in Denmark, which I’m now sharing with you.

Although the video is long, if you’ve ever wanted to hear my thoughts on business and marketing, or listen to my goofy Virginia accent, I can assure you this video has it. It got a huge response on Michael’s blog and I hope if you find a few minutes here or there, you’ll give it a listen, as it won’t be a waste of your time. 🙂 Oh, and one other thing– The first two minutes are in Danish, so you can fast forward that…or just listen to it if you want, because it’s kinda cool. 🙂

Your Turn:

Why is it so hard for people to ‘dumb it down’? What acronyms and other phrases have you heard that many people simply don’t understand? As always, I invite all readers to leave your thoughts below, as the comment section is where the strength of community is allowed to work its magic and we can all learn from each other.

My bosses, in their infinite wisdom, want me to be an “expert” and refer to myself as a “social media expert” I got done laughing, and saw they were not pleased.

I tried to explain no one is an expert with any of this. Social Media is just another tool to improve relationships with customers. It really is not that hard, but the bosses want to make it more complex so they can sound important.

That is stupid to me.

They want to know what the ROI is of having 400 Twitter followers. I tell them I have made invaluable friendships online. They tell me they do not care. *shrugs* Oh well. Business is all about relationships. I think they have this idea that they can call themselves “experts” “gurus” or “ninjas” charge a ton of money, and get rich.

I would rather help people in a more down to earth manner. I talk to clients, not at them. I explain that great service is still how to get customers, and that will always be the case.

I guess I will never be a genius either Marcus. That is fine with me.

June 6, 2011 at 10:22 am

Jimi Hove

Hi Marcus,

It`s been a pleasure finding your scripts of knowledge through Michael.

We have reasonly here in Denmark had the same discussion, on a videoblog by danish IT entrepeneur Martin Thorborg, now living in Florida.

We have all tried what you are talking about, and getting annoyed about it.

I worked with some rather big marketing departments here in Denmark ( as an consultant ). I cant believe how much time , and brain effort , we wasted because they ” had ” to make as academic as they possibly could. I really felt like screaming at them : ” God damn, this project is only about adding value. Is there value ? Yes !! Now stfu ! ”

I guess that what they are supposed to do. the upside is, that if you focus on adding value, and not an semantics, your focus will be razersharp, and thats probably why they called me.

Its been pleasure to read her

best wishes

Jimi Hove

June 6, 2011 at 10:24 am

john Falchetto

Digging holes! LOL! I write about digging holes.

Buddy this interview was awesome. You NEED to write an ebook and get all this knowledge packaged and out there. This video ‘dumbs’ it down and it’s a crying shame that BWENY didn’t want to have you as a speaker. Their loss.

I think we all need to take it a notch down, we end up talking to our colleagues our people in our online bubble. Small business owners are not on the same page, they have next to no idea what WP is, let alone an RT.

Great reminder buddy.

June 6, 2011 at 10:28 am

john Falchetto

Hi Nancy, you got me laughing with your comment. When people ask about ROI of Twitter, its like asking about the ROI of the iPhone.

Your boss is like everyone else though, he doesn’t get it. In all honesty it’s not his job to get it. You know how to use the social media tools and he deals with other stuff.

Regarding the ROI of relationships, there is nothing new there. Has anyone ever heard of referrals? They bring me quite a bit of business and it’s all about the relationships, just like you said.

June 6, 2011 at 11:08 am

barbara

I hate acronyms. My husband is the Exec. Dir. for a special services district in Philly and he’s on several boards. Each board has its own acronym so he spouts them off in conversation and I say…”I’m not knowing.” He understands what I mean and will knock it off.

I hated it when I was in sales or any of the myriad of businesses I dabbled in. It’s snobbery at its worst and turns people off so quickly they don’t even listen to what you’re pitching.

I agree with you that simple, direct from the heart and to the point is what engages people and keeps them wanting to follow you… whatever your business or blog is.

Great post! thanks, b

June 6, 2011 at 11:39 am

Lori Gosselin

Hey Marcus, Very nice video. (Loved hearing the Danish at the beginning!) It was a good description of Inbound Marketing, something I never really understood until now, Thanks! I agree with using the language of the people, common language, lay-terms, but it’s too easy to forget when you want to sound professional (or when you’re just not thinking!) Great reminder of this. Lori

June 6, 2011 at 11:51 am

Steve@Internet Lifestyle

As expected, you make some great points. We really can get buried in our own knowledge and miss the mark when trying to market.

Many of the people who read and comment are fairly well versed in the intricacies. This makes it so easy to forget that the biggest potential market are those who have absolutely no clue as to what a single anachronym is.

Thanks for reminding us of the power of K.I.S.S

(another great anachronym: Keep It Simple Stupid)

June 6, 2011 at 12:37 pm

Danielle

I found your site through Spin Sucks and have really been enjoying it. This post really hit a nerve for me on the acronym thing. I work with some people who are extremely acronym-happy and it just makes my brain shut down when I am really trying to understand what the heck they are talking about. It’s so frustrating to have to stop someone and say, “Um…you used two or three acronyms back there I didn’t understand. What are you talking about?” I don’t know if it’s laziness, or a need to make other people feel intellectually inadequate, but it’s maddening. I only wish I knew how to make it stop…

June 6, 2011 at 12:40 pm

Eugene

I think to people like your “SEO expert friend” the acronyms ARE simple. People get so caught up in what they are doing, and get to such a high level of knowledge, that they forget that not everyone else is spending day in and day out studying the same topics.

The mechanic at the car shop most likely isn’t studying SEO, he’s fixing cars. But if he came at me with some car fixing mumbo jumbo I wouldn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.

You just get so knowledgeable at something that it becomes second nature, and you don’t event think twice about. But it’s important to be conscious of that fact…as you clearly are.

Actually this post came at a perfect time for me, so thank you (time to go write some dumb sales letters :)).

June 6, 2011 at 1:08 pm

Don Pauli

Watched the whole video, even the Danish. Leaned a lot. Thanks. Now I’ve got some work to do. “Write every question you’ve been asked about your product, that’s a new Blog title”. In every sales organization 20% of the people produce 80% of the sales. When I speak with a client I try to remember W.I.I.F.M is written on their for head. “what’s in it for me?” You got my noodle working overtime with this blog. Thanks again. Don

June 6, 2011 at 1:13 pm

Brad Harmon @ Big Feet Marketing

So much great advice in this video and post, Marcus. I feel like I just got a free one-on-one seminar from The Sale Lion.

Your mulch story was great. Imagine having a successful blog about mulch! I’m going to have to start using that when professionals tell me that a blog can’t help them.

I also love your thoughts about writing down questions that your prospects ask. Turn them into blog posts. That should keep the average small business owner supplied with blog topics for an entire year.

June 6, 2011 at 1:48 pm

Peggy Baron

Hi Marcus, My first thought – I wish I knew Danish, it sounds very cool.

Second thought – regarding the dumbing it down, I hate that expression because our readers/listenders aren’t dumb, they just don’t have the same knowledge we have… yet.

Third thought – it’s really about us knowing who our audience is and gearing the information to that audience. This is something you excel at, Marcus!

Thanks, Peggy

June 6, 2011 at 1:52 pm

Kristi Hines

I don’t know Marcus, usually when I talk to someone about the ROI of my B2C websites’ CPC through heavy utilization of my SEO strategies, we hit it off right away. 😉

I think that some companies’ perspective is if they talk way over the potential client’s head, that potential client will be in awe of their apparent knowledge and happy to hand their money over to someone who is such an expert.

In reality, if you just say to someone that their competitors X, Y, and Z come up before them for their niche keyword then it is a lot easier for them to understand. Of course, that means you’ll have to do a little research instead of sending a blanket email (I get several a week and just giggle when I see them), then you might actually get a client.

June 6, 2011 at 2:24 pm

Jack @ TheJackB

Marcus, I speak Danish. I don’t want to upset you, but if you knew what they really said about you I suspect that you’d lose the accent and sound like a guy from Brooklyn. 😉

On a serious note when I worked on training sales people I routinely taught the team to talk to their prospects and customers in simple terms. If they didn’t understand something we would try to relate it to a car because it usually easy to relate the two.

You can be impressive and sound like an authority on a topic without drowning them in terminology that they may not understand and will often bore them silly.

Any way you do it, you have to understand who you are talking to and tailor it to them.

June 6, 2011 at 2:34 pm

Michael Lykke Aagaard

Thanks for the kind words buddy!

Funny thing – on my way to the airport in Atlanta yesterday, I noticed that the cab driver had a book on selling techniques lying around – “50 proven ways to seal the deal” or something generic like that – I asked him about about it, and he told he wanted to get some business going for himself.

I told him to burn the book and gave him your business card – he was stoked 😉

– Michael

June 6, 2011 at 3:34 pm

Jk Allen

Hey Marcus,

Glad the seminar went well. Any video?

Dumbing it down is an art…and this is why I think people don’t do it:

1. In order to dumb something down you have to have a very strong understanding in order to make it translate into anything meaningful. Sorry to say but a lot of times people only have a high level view, so can’t really make full sense of something complex and put it into layman’s terms.

2. People want to sound smart. I think it’s embedded within the ego, to tell you the truth.

3. Ignorance…strangely enough, these articles are great because some folks just don’t get it. Assumptions will kill a business deal (w/0 details, I’ve lived that). People think the smarter they sound, the better they come across. I’m from the school of thought that thinks the more you can be flexible and adapt to your audience, the better return you’ll get on whatever your aiming towards.

4. Ability. Some people just aren’t powerful in relaying a message or communicating what is complex, in a simple format. They can either be too wordy, or not detailed enough. This is a skill set that’s highly sought after in the professional arena because it’s in high demand.

Rob White told me once that Genius is when one can make what is complex, seem simple. That was pretty profound, and example what you do with ease.

I don’t use many acronyms. Even at my job, I just say the entire phrase. Why? Because it keeps me in good practice of not using internal acronyms in from of my clients (which is a bad look). But I do use ROI more than anything else, because in my industry, it’s VERY well known and used heavily.

Alright my friend. I wish you the best week. I’m at the new J-O-B. Can’t wait to catch you up. With that said, I’ll check out the video tonight.

PEACE.

June 6, 2011 at 3:38 pm

Bill Dorman

Ha, dumb it down I can do; now you are talking my language. The challenge is determining what your audience wants to hear. Depending on the makeup, if it’s too simple you might lose them. However, if it’s any of my buddies half the time I have to draw pictures.

I’m sure there will be a day I’m interested in SEO (that’s search engine optimization I believe) and plopping the right amount of keywords in my post. However, right now I’m just doing what I know how to do best and that’s be myself. What that means at the end of the day, who knows but we’ll see where it takes me.

As far as the video, how come I can understand Michael better than you……just sayin’. I think I can out goofy you however, I created a ‘vlog’ for my post this wk. Maybe we can run them side by side and take a goofiness poll, huh?

Good to see you buddy, just keep it in the middle of the road.

June 6, 2011 at 4:54 pm

Lucretia Pruitt

We lovingly refer to them as “TLAs” in the tech world (for Three Letter Acronyms.)

First, I have to wonder why an “SEO expert” is calling you. Is the phone the most important tool in his world? If so, that’s an interesting bit of information, isn’t it?

Second? One of the most common reasons people resort to jargon is that they don’t really understand the concepts to the point where they can break it down for someone who is not familiar with them. It also allows them to sound as if they have inside information that you would know if only you were as smart & informed as they are… until you find out that they’re parroting terms and phrases without really understanding them. But usually by that point they’ve already got your money.

In a way? That second bit means that you’re really having to “smarten up to your topic” rather than “dumbing down to your audience.” 😉

June 6, 2011 at 4:57 pm

Wim @ Sales Sells

Marcus, this interview is the best piece of content I’ve seen from you so far. I told you before that you’re a great writer, but you’re easily ten times better as a speaker man. No wonder you’re getting more and more speaking gigs, you have the gift of truly captivating an audience.

The part I loved most was about the follow-up. Providing content and value instead of asking lame questions like “have you made a decision yet”. It’s something I’ve been teaching salespeople for the past few years and I’ve witnessed ASTONISHING results just from implementing this simple stupid tip alone. Isn’t it funny btw how KISS is an acronym, contradicting what it’s trying to say? 🙂

I also like how you made the distinction between educating and selling. If you can educate your customer prior to the meeting, it not only saves you tons of time and energy, it also shows your expertise. Send prospects to your most popular and interesting blog posts and let them enjoy and be amazed at the discussion you started. Just a warning, they might want to hire you as “social media managing director executive manager” or “online community development and engagement assistant officer” too 🙂

Have a great week all of you, Wim

June 6, 2011 at 6:09 pm

Adam Toporek

Marcus, your point is very on target. So many professionals 1) are so used to talking to other industry people that they forget their biz-speak is not understood by everyone or 2) they do it on purpose to give a certain impression. As you point out, whatever the reason, doing so is counterproductive to the end goal, which is to provide value to your audience. It really is either speaking to please yourself or to please your audience!

Interestingly, I think Twitter has made us all more acronym heavy due to the character limit. Something you made me think about with this post.

June 6, 2011 at 6:24 pm

Fred Leo

You are so right Marcus. Too often we feel like we need to impress everyone with our intelligence. But, in actuality, our clients want us to communicate with them using language they understand.

One place I see this all the time is in the tech industry. So often the marketing materials are written for engineers. People don’t care that what processor the thing has in it. They want to know what it will do for them.

June 6, 2011 at 6:30 pm

Fred Leo

I’m not sure that it’s snobbery. Instead, I think that it is laziness. We have lost our appreciation of good communication.

June 6, 2011 at 6:37 pm

Fred Leo

Marcus,

Just watched your video. I think I have a new life goal now. I want to become the Captain Kirk of the Internet.

June 6, 2011 at 6:45 pm

barbara

I’m not sure Fred. I’ve been in meetings as the ‘newbie’ with acronyms flying. It’s like a secret handshake or something. No one wants to feel out of the loop so assuming others know what you’re talking about can be costly. I agree with Marcus that it’s much more beneficial to ‘dumb it down’ (if that’s how you want to think of it) than to assume everyone knows what the hell you’re saying. When you’re the one not knowing it seems like snobbery. If it’s the client not knowing you’re walking out without a sale!

June 6, 2011 at 6:53 pm

Fred Leo

Oh, don’t get me wrong Barbara. I definitely think it can be rude, especially when you know someone is a part of the conversation and they don’t know the language. And, I definitely agree that it is important to use language that effectively communicates with your audience.

June 6, 2011 at 7:06 pm

Peggy Baron

Boy do I look dumb… I can’t even spell “listeners”. 🙁 Sigh…

June 6, 2011 at 9:40 pm

Ruzanne

Hi, Marcus! My name is Ruzanne and I’m an OSP. 😉

Totally agree with you. So irritating to read about people who want to come across as an “expert” when they could be more natural – and thus fun. In fun, learning becomes easier. In fact, new things become inspiring when fun as opposed to making stuff sound “up there but cold.” Take for example… oh, there’s so many of them. That’s why I’d rather come visit down-to-earth sites that talk about what they do. Reading then becomes a rewarding adventure. You get to meet real people, not some distant folks who’s “about me” page is filled with links and screaming of “I-say-I’m-the-best!” stuff. Who cares about that, anyways.

Thanks for the space, Marcus.

June 7, 2011 at 1:10 am

Davina K. Brewer

Like John, I’m totally laughing with you.. and at your bosses a little. Can I be as non-genius as Nancy when I grow up? 😉

June 7, 2011 at 1:13 am

Davina K. Brewer

Snark. .-) Well played on that lead Kristi, just have to say that.

June 7, 2011 at 1:14 am

Stephanie - Home with the Kids

Whenever I hear someone talking about the importance of dumbing things down to fit what the client will understand, I think about my first website client. Utterly clueless about the internet, she was a dog breeder and other breeders had convinced her it was time to get a website, so she wanted one. And, she insisted, it had to be compatible with trains.

Took me a while to find out that she meant search engines. She hadn’t fully understood why the matter was important, didn’t even really know what a search engine was, so she had used the word “trains” to try to remember “search engine.” Logical enough once you know it, but a good reminder of how terms that sound like the basics to one person may be all but foreign to another.

June 7, 2011 at 1:15 am

Marcus Sheridan

Nancy, I gotta tell ya, the stories you tell about your bosses are seriously depressing. We’ve got to get you another job girl!!

But I love your perspective. You get the big picture and you’re doing things the right way. That’s all that matters really– just forget the rest 😉

Thanks for stopping by Nancy!

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 1:16 am

Davina K. Brewer

And now I’m comment bombing. Ok Marcus – with your would-be ‘Brooklynese’ accent – it is time for some LOL or LMAO buttons. Too funny Riley.. and I was going to say that, it’s about putting things in relative terms, something people do get and can give them a better context. FWIW.

June 7, 2011 at 1:17 am

Marcus Sheridan

Jimi, welcome from across the pond my friend. And I’m digging your focus man. Seems like you’ve seen this song and dance one too many times. And props to you for seeing the big picture and getting the curse that semantics can play on the sales and marketing cycle.

Have a great one and thanks so much for coming by!

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 1:19 am

Davina K. Brewer

Now that you’ve taken the rest of my comment, nothing else for me to add Lucretia. 😉 Folks who hide behind the alphabet soup, the jargon .. who talk in business babble word vomit, I too wonder how well they know what they know. Even if they do, if they cannot teach it in such as way to help ME know it, why do they get my money? Uhh.. they don’t. And love ‘smarten up the topic’ – may have to steal that line someday. FWIW.

June 7, 2011 at 1:20 am

Marcus Sheridan

Speaking of dumbing it down, did you know the 4HWW ruined my life John?? 😉

But seriously bro, I appreciate your kind words, and your spot-on in that we can all do a little better in this arena, and stop assuming that people know more than they do.

Have a great one brother, and thanks for your amazing support.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 1:21 am

Jk Allen

Gotta chance to check out the video…great stuff man. Always motivating to hear your passionate take on inbound marketing and brining it to the most simple form possible. Highly motivating!

And I thought it was funny that you mentioned ROI in the video, and I also mentioned it in my comment above (for using it). You’re right, the term is absolutely industry and segment specific. I deal with mainly Fortune list companies at the executive level where EVERYONE is very familiar with that term! But, that’s applying time and place. We can’t make assumptions that people know something just because we do….it creates a gap in communication.

PEACE again!

June 7, 2011 at 1:22 am

Jk Allen

Hey Michael – nice interview. Glad you captured it for us all to see!

June 7, 2011 at 1:24 am

Marcus Sheridan

Oh Barbara, I just love your style…and love the avatar too, have I told you that ? 😉

I think most people are just utterly oblivious to the communication gap they create with clients and listeners, otherwise we would see them (especially the acronyms) over and over and over again.

Direct and to the point….I like that B’!

Thanks so much for stopping by again. 🙂

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 1:24 am

Davina K. Brewer

Saving the video for later BTW, look forward to it. Even with all my abbreviations Marcus, the FIRST thing I try to do is put things in terms others can understand. Once I learn something, I can usually help others relate to it by using a more comfortable analogy, some familiar metaphor that gives people a better context. Not about being the smartest on the blog, the one with all the secrets; it’s about being the who can best explain those secrets so that the audience or reader has those “AHA! NOW I get it” moments. FWIW.

June 7, 2011 at 1:26 am

Marcus Sheridan

No one wants to feel out of the loop…..That’s exactly it Barbara– and the language/jargon we use in business and life is the quickest way we can help others feel included or excluded– but it’s our choice.

Again, well said!

June 7, 2011 at 1:27 am

Marcus Sheridan

Hey Lori, the Danish was pretty cool, wasn’t it!? 🙂

Appreciate the kind words lady and always love it when you come by to share on TSL.

Have a great week Lori.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 1:29 am

Marcus Sheridan

Yeah, good ‘ol KISS. That’s the one acronym I actually really, really like Steve, as it’s symbolic of everything good communication should be.

Always appreciate your support brother. 🙂

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 1:31 am

Marcus Sheridan

Ahhhh Danielle, I do believe you’ve spoken on behalf of millions with this comment, well said!

And I’m so glad you found me off of Gini’s site. Can’t say that I’ll write as much as her, but considering I like movies and she doesn’t, that gives me a one up 😉

Good luck with all those acronym using co-workers!! 😉

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 1:34 am

Marcus Sheridan

Like you said Eugene–It’s important to be conscious of the fact…This is what most folks are not. Like you said, they are so in ‘their world’ that they become almost oblivious to the needs and knowledge base of others.

But so glad you liked the article brother and grateful for your support.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 1:35 am

Marcus Sheridan

The whole thing Don? Sweet brother!! So glad to hear you liked this a little bit and glad to know that I could get those mental juices flowing. 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by to comment my friend!

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 3:12 am

Jens P. Berget

Hi Marcus,

I hope Michael explained to you what he said in Danish in the beginning of the video, because what an awesome testimonial! It’s the best testimonial any person could get.

I get calls from SEO-guys (and regular sales people) like yours every single day. And most of them are actually just as dumb. I usually understand within the first 30 seconds where the conversations is going, and that I am about to hang up. I don’t want people to start out by telling me what to do, and especially what I am doing wrong.

What you’re saying about acronyms and talking to people in a way that they understand what you’re saying is actually a lot more difficult than most people think. I have been teaching at the University, and I’ve been talking to a lot of teachers (at the University) about things they don’t have a clue about (like website design and marketing). And every single time, I have been using analogies to what they do at work and life in general. Because talking about marketing terms, no matter if I say Return On Investment instead of ROI, or long tail marketing. They don’t care, they want to understand what it means to them in the work they are already doing. And my guess is that they won’t remember any of the fancy words after I finish talking anyway 🙂

Jens

June 7, 2011 at 4:41 am

Michael Lykke Aagaard

Hi Jk – thanks!

I was completely blown away by Marcus’ presence and enthusiasm – I knew right away that I had to do my part to spread to word!

– Michael

June 7, 2011 at 4:42 am

Michael Lykke Aagaard

Spread THE word -was what I was trying to write 😉

June 7, 2011 at 5:57 am

Kieron Casey

You are totally right in that there is nothing worse than over use of acronyms in most professions to the degree when many of my friends tell me what they’re doing job-wise it can sound like a foreign language: “I’m implementing WEEE initiatives” “Im debating whether to do a CELTA or TEFL”

If they’d said “I’m helping my work becoming a more green environemnt by recycling their electronic equipment” or “II want to teach English as a foreign language but have to decide which type of course would help me best do this” I would have had a much better clue what they were going on about!

June 7, 2011 at 8:32 am

Michael Holm

Hi Marcus

I’ll be short and just thank you for an inspiring video and blog. I dident know about TSL before I saw Michael Aagaards tweet about the video and that I should actually thank him for 🙂

Like others mentioned the old acronym KISS most serntenly still applies – it’s not that hard 🙂

Great blog and there will be many hours of of reading for me going through all your earlier posts.

Kind regards Michael

June 7, 2011 at 9:14 am

Bill Dorman

BTW, I just saw the dubbed over Danish version and I thought it was an old Godzilla movie……………just sayin’……………

June 7, 2011 at 9:26 am

Jason

I LOVE IT when people call me and say I can be doing a better job on my seo. I come from a sales / call center background…So I’m always interested in what they have to say and how they say it…do they build my trust in them within 5 sentances…I usually let them go on for a while…just to see if they know whats up…

Sadly, the only good advice I’ve gotten so far was from Marcus, which was put more videos on my site…and he wasn’t cold calling me. 🙂

Hope all is well Marcus…

June 7, 2011 at 10:08 am

Steve Birkett

A well made point, Marcus, and something of which I suspect many of us are guilty from time to time. Even with the best intentions, I think the shorthand element of acronyms encourage us to believe we’re saving time and helping the customer in some way. Usually it’s just erecting a barrier though.

The two biggest reasons for doing so, as others have highlighted, are trying to sound like the dreaded ‘expert’ – as your SEO guy shows – and just the general environment many of us inhabit. Every day I read articles on blogs and media sites with all the acronyms you list and more, so it seeps in as a language as natural as my twisted mix of British and American English (growing up in Liverpool didn’t help either…google ‘Scouse’ :-/ ). So often it’s MORE of a challenge to speak plainly and clearly, than it is to do so in the jumbled jargon of our world.

Appreciate the reminder, however, and I’ll hopefully be more mindful as a result. Cheers….I mean, thank you!

Not too surprising what you encountered Marcus. My main job as an IT consultant back in the day was translate technobabble to business speak. I do that today with online marketing, a part of which is SEO. Long story short, if you aren’t using the same language your customer is you won’t make that connection or the sale. However many times people, especially technical people (and there’s a lot technical to SEO) are so caught up in their own industry that they won’t go over to the side of their customer.

That’s good though. If people keep doing that it means more for those of us who actually speak in plain English.

I completely agree with you here, keeping it simple and making it easier for people to understand will result in more people DEFINITELY understanding you better, and then maybe resulting in more business.

It’s like the big reality shows (America’s Got Talent, etc), they’re simple to understand right? Some critics over here have accused those shows of being dumb, dumbing down the British culture, etc. But why have they got high ratings? Amongst other things, it’s because they’re easy to ‘get’. People can dive straight in those shows, and not have to waste time figuring them out.

There’s been a couple of shows who have tried to be clever by adding complex rules, but that has ultimately proven their downfall, because not enough people understood the concept within 5 seconds.

Remember, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) 😉

June 7, 2011 at 11:46 am

Frank

Marcus,

I have always been told that the people who really know what they are talking about are able to speak or write in a matter where everyone can understand. If you want to do anything the clearer you are with the messeage the better. I look at my own life as a good example. Because I don’t know a lot I spend a lot of time using big words to hide I really don’t have a clue. 🙂 When I finally do get a clue I won’t have to hide behind a mad up vocabulary. lol!

June 7, 2011 at 12:59 pm

Robert

Hey Marcus, this is a big problem man.

It really is all about keeping it simple. Complicating things only alienates people and kills their interest both in who we are and what we have on offer.

I think overcomplication is a problem across the board, not just in technical jargon in but with problem-solving and many other aspects of business. As you said, it doesn’t impress anyone!

I like what Jim Rohn said “Why use 50 words when you can explain something using 10” or words to that effect.

All about keeping it simple. Great post as usual, can’t wait to watch your interview, love that your style is your own yet comparable to the amazing Gary Vee! 😉

PS Did you get a chance to catch Sean and Lewis at Blogworld?

June 7, 2011 at 2:50 pm

Alex Blackwell | The BridgeMaker

Here’s my biggest buzzword pet peeve: Monetize. Isn’t it okay to say we need to make money? So, I try to make money to live – I don’t try to monetize my life, my blog or anything else.

Alex

June 7, 2011 at 3:10 pm

leon Noone

G’Day Marcus, “Dumbing Down?” This could be the beginning of the end of a beautiful friendship. You have been warned!

When I moved my business online three years ago, I could barely understand what all the online gurus were talking about. I wasn’t web savvy. They didn’t care. By and large, not much has changed.

I have a HR background. with the possible exception of lawyers, accountants and economists, HR is the most jargon ridden field on the planet.

I believe that acronyms, cliches and jargon don’t need to be “dumbed down.”

They need to be “smartened up.”

You see, words are merely carriages for meaning. Meaning is determined by the reader or listener. If I don’t understand what you’re saying, You, not I, have a problem. That’s why grammar and spelling and correct punctuation are so important too. They are the lubricants for the wheels that carry the words.

I absolutely agree with what you’re on about. But don’t tell these conceited, cliche- cluttered charlatans to “dumb down.” That merely reinforces their arrogance.

Tell ’em to “smarten up” Assuming, of course, that they want to be understood…… Maybe the problem is that they don’t care whether they’re understood. Have you considered that you High Priest of Pools? Scary isn’t it?

As Mark Twain said, “It aint what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just aint so.”

Bob Dylan recently toured Australia. One critic called him,”the 20th. Century’s greatest songwriter.” That’s just plain old fashioned ignorance. It can be alleviated by remedial listening.

C’mon! I had to finish with something at least mildly flippant…..

Make sure you have fun

Regards

Leon

June 7, 2011 at 3:39 pm

Davina K. Brewer

Ok the video was great Marcus, your passion for blogging – and the BUSINESS side of inbound marketing in particular – just JUMP through the screen. Some people can write, others can present .. I think you’ve got the gift of both my friend. Hat tip, sir. The “ya’ll” at the end cracked me up… in high school my history class did a video exchange with a school from Ohio or somewhere, and the out-of-character “ya’ll” I let slip was of particular amusement to the other kids. Sigh. 😉

June 7, 2011 at 4:06 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Wow Brad, that’s really, really kind of you to say. I greatly prefer video over writing, and I do hope to be able to do more and more of it in the future.

Glad you liked the mulch story. I thought it was awesome too. It’s one of those, “If he can do it, I can do it!!” type of stories.

Love your sarcasm here Kristi. And you’re so right. Most of the language is simply a biproduct of trying to look really cool and smart– except the problem with that is looking cool doesn’t make people money.

Appreciate your support lady. And love your blog Kristi. 🙂

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 4:28 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Haha Jack 😉 Well said brother….but I’ll just pretend that he said I made Gary Vaynerchuk sound boring 😉

Training to speak on simple terms…Wow, what a concept! Too bad it has been lost for the most part. Isn’t it crazy that the ones in sales that speak the simplest and clearest are the ones that come across as most impressive?

Love it Jack, and really appreciate your support here as well sir. Have a great one.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 4:45 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Hahaha Michael, that’s awesome man! Love hearing stories like that. Well, between your blog and mine, it appears that we were clearly supposed to meet at that elevator and strike up a friendship. You’ve got such a bright future man, I really think the sky is the limit for you my friend.

Just keep doing your thing and I’m excited to stay in touch brother.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 4:52 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Dang JK, this comment was money…I mean seriously brother, it deserves to be included in the article itself.

2. The ego has killed many a good conversation, seminar, class etc…..dang ego! 😉

3. Hmm, yes, if you’re aloof, even simple explanation and communication will escape you….it’s hard to hide behind a wall of ignorance.

4. Love this one too. You know what’s funny though man, you don’t hear this quality as the major key to workplace success often times. And they certainly don’t talk about it in college– one’s ability to speak at a simple, clear, and yet profound level.

You’re an A+ communicator JK. I seriously can’t wait till we teach a seminar together in the future…that would be awesome…..btw– love that quote from Rob. Awesome.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 4:56 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Thanks bro. I’m really wanting to integrate more video into the site….now I’ve just got to make it happen.

June 7, 2011 at 4:59 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Haha Bill, yes, I do believe you might be able to out-goofy me 😉 But that reminds me…I do need to swing by your site now that you’ve gone all Hollywood on me. But hey, as long as you don’t go Mel Gibson, I think we’ll keep lovin ya buddy 😉

Appreciate your support Bill and thanks so much for stopping by.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:02 pm

Marcus Sheridan

‘Smarten up your topic’…Hmmm, like how you said that Lucretia. 🙂 BTW, have I told you that your comments rocketh and rolleth?? Well if I haven’t, they do, and my apologies. You always seem to add so much to the conversation.

Thanks for so much support Lucretia!

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:05 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Wim, I’ve got to tell you man, this really made my day. Seriously.

Coming from a sales guy like you that really, really understands his trade, it’s compliments like that that make a guy feel like he’s on the right track. And I hope to be doing more and more video in the future, as I enjoying video a good bit more than simply writing….(I guess it’s because writing doesn’t show all my goofy faces 😉 )

KISS rules the day– in any industry, no matter the situation.

Thanks a ton for your support Wim. 🙂

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:09 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Your point about Twitter is a very good one Adam. (speaking of cultures with their own language btw, yikes!!) There is a shift in society. One of them is to more acronyms. And although I don’t mind their usage in regular day to day, I hate them with the complex stuff—the niche specific words no one really seems to know about.

Thanks for you great points Adam, as always my friend.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:11 pm

Marcus Sheridan

My goodness Fred. Don’t even get me started on the Tech industry. I swear I think that 99% of their marketers are so dang aloof of normal language it’s not even funny.

Customers are literally begging for professionals to speak at their language. It’s nuts how few of these said ‘professionals’ actually listen.

Thanks so much for stopping by bud.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:11 pm

Jk Allen

That would be a great day! At some point in the future, let’s make it happen.

June 7, 2011 at 5:12 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Hahahaha Fred 🙂

June 7, 2011 at 5:13 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Thanks so much for telling me that Tom. Hope it helped a bit. 🙂

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:16 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Steve, thoughtful, thoughtful comment my friend, and welcome to my blog btw, awesome having you and I love what you’ve stated here.

…So it seeps in as a language….

Yes, that’s exactly what happens. And most have know idea it has even hit them.

Again, well said Steve and I very much hope you’ve subscribed and come back for more visits in the future.

Cheers,

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:18 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Love the TV analogy Stu, as it’s perfect. As consumers, if we have to think too hard, forget it. That applies to TV, internet, wherever.

Thus he who knows how to keep it simple is often the person who ends up on top.

BTW Stu, when am I going to see a video from my favorite 20 something Englishman?? 😉

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:20 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Get the heck out of here Frank! 😉 I’ve read your stuff brother, and you’re not hiding—heck, the only thing you might be hiding is the rest of that crazy potential you have behind that blue light that is floating in the air in front of you . 😉

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment my friend.

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:25 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Hey Robert, and thanks so much for stopping by my friend and these kind words.

You said the magic two words for me– ‘Jim Rohn’

I don’t think anyone in the 20th century was as good of a teacher and communicator than Jim Rohn, and I’m not exaggerating that. I’d like to write his biography one of these days, that’s how much I adore the man.

Hope you get a chance to watch the video bud. Seriously, it won’t be a waste of your time.

I do not think I met Sean and Lewis at BW. What were their last names?

Thanks again,

Marcus

June 7, 2011 at 5:28 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Good point Alex. What is the deal with that word?? 🙂

June 7, 2011 at 5:30 pm

Marcus Sheridan

You’re too good to me Davina! But thank you, I really appreciate that. Now if I can just get off my duff and start doing more of it!!

Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?! 😉

June 7, 2011 at 5:36 pm

Robert

You’re welcome,

Haha yeah I’m a big fan of Jim too, he was a great teacher. Definitely encouraged simplicity, and practices what he preached.

None of your stuff is a waste of my time, everything I have seen with your name on it has been pure gold!

Sean Malarkey and Lewis Howes, I know Lewis was speaking.

June 7, 2011 at 5:59 pm

Steve Birkett

Indeed, I’ve been subscribed for a while but lurking in the overgrown bushes of Gmail…until today! I’ll certainly be popping in to comment more, as I can see what outstanding conversation bursts from the initial post. Great stuff.

June 8, 2011 at 2:18 am

Kim Davies

Hi, Nancy, John, Davina and Marcus. 🙂

I just can’t help replying here because while your bosses are really funny, Nancy, their concept as Marcus said is depressing as well. I am just glad that my boss, who gave me the go signal to blog for our 3D rendering company is not your bosses. He has given me the power to make connections online and basically helps me out when I need new apps added to our blog.

Believe me, even if he is my boss, he is really the one who places all those sharing buttons when I recommend that we do it. 🙂 Of course, when he is busy, adding apps and straightening kinks have to wait. But, I am thankful that he does not force me to be an expert on anything. He just lets me be me. 🙂

June 8, 2011 at 2:19 am

Diane

I’m a retired Vocational/ Special Education teacher. We had the same issue…our own language, our own acronyms…and parents and public barely understood us if we didn’t return to speaking just plain ol’ English! Interesting blog…

June 8, 2011 at 3:36 am

Stuart

One day Marcus, one day; I’m on Skype every so often, so just let me know and I’ll send you a video call. Or an audio call if I haven’t put my make-up on 😉

June 8, 2011 at 3:57 am

Tony Hastings

Enjoyed the video Marcus and enjoyed reading all the great comments while I was listening.

Difficult to add anything to the debate other than to say the main words I took from the piece were simple and transparent, good words to keep in mind with blogging and in life in general I guess.

The accent was fine, it just sounded ‘American’ to me but then I imagine that all of my friends across the Atlantic probably think I would sound like a cockney! Perish the thought, maybe I should learn more about US variations and do a Top 10 regional accents 🙂

Many thanks to you and to Michael for putting the video together, much food for thought there.

June 8, 2011 at 10:06 am

Marcus Sheridan

Hey Tony, great to see you sir and I appreciate the kind words.

‘Simple and transparent’–yep, when it comes down to it, that should be our focus.

And I’m glad the accent was understandable for you as well. Ya never know. 😉

Thanks so much for stopping by to leave a comment Tony.

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:08 am

Marcus Sheridan

Hi Diane, and welcome to our community here!! 🙂

Yep, every industry and vocation have them, and we’ve all been guilty of it at one time or another, but like you said, Good ‘Ol plain English is where it’s at! 😉

Thanks so much for the visit Diane, I hope you’ve subscribed and come back again.

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:12 am

Marcus Sheridan

High Priest of Pools….hahahaha, that was awesome Leon!

But you’re right (what’s new?), it really is about smartening up, and I hope all those bloody ‘charlatans’ are listening.

Always grateful for your flippancy me friend. 🙂

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:13 am

Marcus Sheridan

You’re way cool Robert…thanks man.

I did not see Sean and Lewis. There were so many classes be offered at once I actually missed a few I wanted to see.

June 8, 2011 at 10:16 am

Marcus Sheridan

You got that right Robert– Let the rest speak their gobbledy-gook and then the guys like you and I can actually come in and impress them with our vast simplicity 😉

Thanks for the comment bud, I really appreciate all your support!

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:17 am

Marcus Sheridan

Very much looking forward to it Steve 🙂

June 8, 2011 at 10:20 am

Marcus Sheridan

Yeah, I got to admit that I’ve had many a ‘SEO’ on the line, analyzing their ‘pitch’ and laughing silently on the other end the entire time.

But thanks so much Jason for your kind words. I may have given you a little advice, but you did the work, and held the vision so as to make it a reality.

Keep rockin brother 🙂

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:24 am

Marcus Sheridan

Michael, welcome sir, and I’m so very thrilled you’ve stopped by. Yeah, that guy M. Aagaards is one cool cat, and I’ve been as impressed with him as he was with me.

But thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment here and joining the community. I’m sure we’ll be chatting more in the future. 🙂

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:26 am

Marcus Sheridan

Amen Kieron! Have you ever found yourself just wanted to say when you hear these things—“And am I supposed to be impressed now with your alphabet soup??” 😉

Appreciate your comment sir and hope you’ll be back in the future as well.

Cheers,

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:30 am

Marcus Sheridan

Hey Jens, thanks so much for letting me know what Michael had said. Honestly, I had no idea, I just knew it sounded cool 😉

You’re right though man, it’s a big problem, this language gap most of us face, and unless we use analogies like you said and really work to truly apply it to the client, they’ll just forget everything.

Thanks for all your support my friend!!

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:33 am

Marcus Sheridan

Trains Stephanie?? Hahahaha that is so hilarious! I’m just glad you were able to figure it all out for her 😉

But thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment Stephanie, I’m very grateful and hope to see you again.

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 10:36 am

Marcus Sheridan

Hi Ruzanne, and welcome to the community. 🙂 I’m so glad you’ve commented and you’re right– being natural and ‘fun’ trumps ‘expert’ any day of the week….now only if more people would actually choose such a path 😉

Have a great week Ruszanne!

Marcus

June 8, 2011 at 4:18 pm

Harriet

Nice to see you on video Marcus and put a voice to a name! I agree that using too much technical language can put people off, I’m a musician and when I speak ‘muso talk’ to people who don’t do much I constantly have to re explain myself!

As I read this, I nodded my head for many reasons. The SEO expert, jargon, aggressive sales tactics, and curse of knowledge really resonated with me. I have a few challenging thoughts to offer here:

* There’s no such thing as an expert or guru. Anyone that markets themselves as such will kill many leads because it assumes that mastery is a finite process. The people I respect the most are the folks that are humble, light on the hype, and can admit that there’s still a lot they have to learn. * Everyone has their own recipe. SEO, like many other things, is an art that can be broken down logically, if not scientifically, yet no two experts can agree on the best practices. That’s what makes it a huge opportunity as a core product or a value-added service. * Intelligence can be a dangerous thing. Some use their intelligence for good, others use it for evil. When we’re using our intelligence to discredit others, sling mud, or say “our way is the only way to do things”, we look like idiots. Sadly, I see many brilliant people commit this sin and even I can admit I sometimes come off as a bit of a know-it-all, though unintentionally (it’s easier when you focus your work online, too).

With that in mind, I think what people need to realize is that you have to build rapport before you ask for the sale. It takes a long time but it’s a MUST. These days, everyone feels they are a social media expert because, suddenly, it’s a HUGE thing. Those of us that have been doing business online before it became the cool thing to may feel a bit of disdain for the new-comers stealing our thunder.

We have to suck it up and adapt. The rules have changed. Paradigm shift, anyone?

I’ve found many social media experts have sites that are WAY under-performing, by just about any standard.. But I know better than to offer my services and perspective without there being some level of trust and background knowledge. We can’t assume we know what a person’s focus, goals, knowledge, and intentions are. Those assumptions are things that are killing salespeople used to the “gravy days”.

One thing I will note while we are on the topic of SEO and SMO services. People tend to focus on SERP positions and keyword rankings. They also look at traffic. Those are key metrics, sure, but what about conversion and participation rates? For most businesses, it’s more realistic to focus on a small audience and engage them more effectively. That’ll boost sales and build loyalty. Not to mention you really want to keep those bounce rates down by bringing the right people to the right content.

The key take-away from your article (and I LOVE this, Marcus):

“When we speak or when we write, we have a choice to make folks—We can try to impress ourselves or we can solely work to enlighten the audience”

ABSOLUTELY!

Sometimes, it’s not a matter of ego and self-serving agendas. Sometimes, we believe SO strongly that WE are the ones that can help a potential customer and our over-zealous ways get the best of us. Again, I am guilty of this. I’ve often fired clients when they refused to take my advice and I felt they were destroying their potential. It happens.

A few simple tools that have worked for me:

1. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) 2. Avoid excessive jargon. 3. Provide context clues and additional resources (see the above). 4. Keep it brief and offer next-steps for those that want more details. 5. Always provide some sort of actionable information to engage your audience. 6. Avoid empty, subjective words such as “best”, “awesome”, “synergy”, “mission-critical”.. you get the idea (See item #3). 7. Think how YOU would feel if you were on the other side. 8. Review and revise, as necessary – be your own worst critic (so others won’t have to)!

Hmmm… I’d write a blog post and link to yours but I have some other ideas brewing. As always, you got my creative juices flowing. You’re the man, Marcus – thanks for keeping it real! 8)

June 8, 2011 at 5:43 pm

Deb Augur

Hi Marcus,

Great post (and video) as always! Loved it when you said “David slays Goliath everyday online.”

Believe me, dumbing it down is something a lot of people don’t get. There are times I need to figure something out (and I’ve been in the web dev business 10 years) but when I research I usually find a big piece of the puzzle missing or it’s written so exasperatingly technical (code) that it’s hard to understand. I try my best to always present information in a way that non-techies can understand. I believe that’s my job.

And, how can anyone call themselves an expert these days with everything changing like we’re living in dog years!?! How I was building websites a year ago is completely different than how I do it today! I’m a perpetual student, not an expert. 😉

June 9, 2011 at 8:37 am

Ingrid Abboud

Hey Barbara, I totally agree with you here. I always say that it’s not about using big words – it’s about making an impact with the simple ones. People are often too embarrassed to raise their hand and ask for something to be explained – especially when no body around them is doing it. More often than not – people are in the same boat as you – they may not get the acronyms or other jargon/terms. Make it easy for them right off the bat and define things. Don’t assume people know – that’s also part of knowing your audience and knowing how to communicate with them.

This whole thing reminds me of high school were you think stupid questions exist – but in fact – if you don’t ask – you won’t know.

June 9, 2011 at 1:05 pm

Karen Avery

I am in the hospitality field and many times, people that I encounter are doctors or lawyers or accomplished PHDs from NASA…. real rocket scientists…. Super bright people is my point. However, when they see me, they are out of their element. They are not in a large city anymore — they are on vacation in the mountains. They haven’t been mountain climbing before and they don’t know what to pack or what they might need to have a safe experience. They don’t know how to find the trailhead, they haven’t researched the hike itself. I can provide assistance and answer all their questions…. but, it is an interaction. So, I must ask questions… what are you looking for, are you afraid of heights (some trails have more exposure than others), is it going to be the right length of time, is it within their described skill level, etc… and then I can point them to the perfect hike… but it is a process of educating and listening. My point here is that you need to remember your audience and know who they are.

It is your audience orientation that really makes a successful encounter and Marcus, you naturally know this… High EQ.

I am learning this from you in terms of an online relationship. thank you.

June 9, 2011 at 11:37 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Wow Karen, heck of a comment lady, and I find your experience with so many professionals to be quite telling.

And thanks for your kind words regarding online relationships. I must admit, I was pretty aloof for many months. But then, all of the sudden, I realized it sure was much more fun and rewarding to build relationships than to just sit there and listen to myself yap all day 😉

Continued success to you Karen, and I hope we chat more in the future, your insights are great.

Marcus

June 9, 2011 at 11:42 pm

Marcus Sheridan

You know Ms. Griddy, I don’t know if you should be referencing high school, being that you missed 211 out of 276 days your senior year 😉

Nah, just kidding silly rabbit– your points are well made, as always.

Good seeing you lady,

Marcus

June 9, 2011 at 11:49 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Wow Deb, this was full of great nuggets, awesome lady. 🙂

Like you said, ‘it’s our job’ to make things understandable. That’s what we’re paid to do. If we’re busy explaining things that no one understands, all we’ve done is wasted a lot of time.

Props to you for being a life-long student Deb. You’ve really got such a great mentality.

Have a great Friday.

Marcus

June 9, 2011 at 11:52 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Yomar!!! Holy smokes brother, this was amazing. Look, you’ve seriously got to flip what you just wrote into a blog post. You’ve covered so many great points, and it’s obvious this isn’t the first time you’ve considered this subject.

Cheers my friend, thanks for rocking it so hard with this one!!!

Marcus

June 9, 2011 at 11:54 pm

Marcus Sheridan

I’m glad you liked the video Harriet. As I’ve mentioned a few times here, I love video and I actually prefer it over writing, so hopefully there will be more in the future.

Thanks for stopping by Harriet, I’m so grateful you manage to find the time with your busy schedule to support this blog and what it represents. 🙂

Marcus

June 10, 2011 at 2:01 am

Andrew Walker

Ahoy! Very brilliant, Marcus, as always. I have the same experience with you about the acronyms. Sometime I just rolled my eyes when they started talking using those puzzling acronyms.

June 11, 2011 at 10:29 am

Gini Dietrich

I love monkeys. Therefore I love this post. #thatisall

June 11, 2011 at 10:35 am

Marcus Sheridan

I hear you Andrew. Those dang acronyms!!! 😉

Have a great weekend my friend!

Marcus

June 11, 2011 at 10:36 am

Marcus Sheridan

Ahhh, now I understand why you’re such a Danny Brown fan 😉

Good to see your smile btw Gini 🙂

June 11, 2011 at 10:44 am

Gini Dietrich

LMAO! HAHAHAHA!!

I actually have more to say to this, but I really do love monkeys. Have you seen Hangover 2 yet? YES! I saw a movie! There is a monkey in it. He reads the paper. It makes me laugh. I love monkeys!

I can’t decide how I want to respond to this. I hate dumbing things down, but I also know the majority of people read at an eighth grade level. We have this debate internally all the time. The guest posts that do really well on Spin Sucks are things like , “The top 10 ways to use Twitter” and they’re always things like, “set up an account, tweet, blah, blah, blah.” It makes me nuts, but they’re always really popular with the RTs and the Facebook likes.

But then, I write something really smart and it doesn’t get tweeted at all, but it gets 300 comments. So then I go to the staff meeting and say, “Nanny nanny boo boo. I’m not dumbing anything down.”

I guess it just depends on your goals. My personal goal is to build community. I’ll let the guest bloggers build RTs and likes.

June 11, 2011 at 10:58 am

Marcus Sheridan

Actually Gini, I think you’ve in many ways got a perfect formula. Because of the diversity of content on SS, you’ve got quite a diverse audience– the beginners, intermediates, and advanced folks—all of them– and it works.

But regardless of how you write, or your guest posters, I think the goal should always be understanding for the end user, which ultimately is all that matters.

Hope your ride this morning was a great one btw Gini 😉

June 11, 2011 at 11:00 am

Gini Dietrich

Yeah, I suppose you’re right. And that’s what Spin Sucks Pro will do too. Have levels for everyone.

I haven’t been out yet. It’s raining here (for the fourth day) so I’m hoping it will clear up. Otherwise I’ll be relegated to the trainer. Again. I watched Out of Africa yesterday while riding. What should I watch today?

June 11, 2011 at 11:09 am

Marcus Sheridan

Actually, it’s just plain weird hearing you talk about all these movies Gini. I would have bet, and I’m talking BIG money, that you would never watch a movie like the Hangover. But, knowing that you have, now I see you’re not just from Krypton, but you actually have earthly-human characteristics as well. 😉

As for what to watch working out— Any Bourne Movie….they’re the best work out flicks in the history of the world. Trust me, I’ve tried them all. 🙂

June 11, 2011 at 11:15 am

Gini Dietrich

If not for Mr. D I would not have seen either of the Hangover movies. He’s been trying for 10 years to get my pop culture card back for me.

June 11, 2011 at 11:47 am

Rajka Milanovic Galbraith

Thanks for another great post.

I hired an editor to edit my static pages (about etc) and my first two blog posts. I did this as she taught a writing course which I enrolled in and because with her editing she turned this story I wrote into what was a really good piece with SIMPLEST changes! I was sold.

However when she edited my articles, I couldn’t help but thinking this is not me… This is boring too technical etc. but I went against my gut. Here is that original post: http://expatdoctormom.com/2010/09/17/how-to-find-a-good-doctor/ for anyone interested. I wrote a follow up to that one (also edited by same editor) on how to get your needs met in the doctor’s office. I am revising the later and reposting it to make it more personal.

Fully agreed no acronyms, speak to your audience not at them! cheers, Rajka

June 11, 2011 at 11:48 am

Rajka Milanovic Galbraith

PS. that first article is embarisingly very amatuerish. I know now not to put the whole web address in the article etc…

June 12, 2011 at 1:36 am

Yomar

No kidding!

Yes, I’ve given this all much thought – so much so that I want to include this discussion in a major published work! These concepts along with game design and using the diverse skill sets we develop, especially with regards to more creative concentrations, to infuse business with fresh and fun energy… Those are things I think about lots, especially in the past few years!

The curse of knowledge is a big one.. We all make the mistake at times: we learn new things, achieve some level of mastery, and we feel that makes us an authority. It’s important to remain humble and approachable. I try to talk with my customers without any hype or jargon.. I want to encourage mutual sharing and growth. We can all learn lots from each other when we work more closely together and check our egos at the door. 😉

Yes.. I need to write a blog entry and link back to you and other supporting materials. Man, the to-do list just keeps growing! 😛

June 12, 2011 at 1:36 am

Yomar

BTW, thanks for the major kudos, Marcus. It means a lot coming from you! 8)

June 12, 2011 at 5:22 pm

Marcus Sheridan

You’re more than welcome Yomar, you deserve it!! 🙂

June 12, 2011 at 5:24 pm

Marcus Sheridan

I get you Yomar when it comes to the ‘to-do’ list, it does keep growing and growing and growing.

But you’ve got ideas and passion that need to be shared my friend, so just make sure they get out there man!!

Continued excellence,

Marcus

June 12, 2011 at 5:38 pm

Marcus Sheridan

The phrase I liked most about all of this Rajka was where you said: ‘I went against my gut’

I think often times as bloggers we simply don’t have nearly enough confidence in our individual talents and abilities. You were right in your assessment. Your articles are a reflection of you, and you are often times the best judge of quality.

Thanks so much for commenting Rajka!

Marcus

Pingback: Why small business owners don't do social media - Expat Life Coach

great post and a good video with Michael and with some new good ideas for me to use in my daily work

September 20, 2011 at 1:26 pm

Marcus Sheridan

Appreciate that Henrik, so glad you got something out of it. That Michael is one awesome guy.

February 24, 2012 at 11:00 am

MamaRed

Oh, this is SUCH a great post. As someone who has written technical documentation (things like procedures, manuals, help files and training guides) for almost 30 years, I getcha. And the funny part is that I got in “trouble” for “dumming” it down over and over again. Now, I know that I’ve been known to forget to use some of your amazing tips, we all do, AND we even had a white paper on why people use big words on my old site (called Simply Written…for a reason).

The first documents I teach people to create for especially technical materials is a glossary and a list of acronyms. Then I sit with them and do my darndest to find a plain English way of saying what they’re saying. Many of my clients forget that English is a second language for many of their readers.

Now I’m wondering if I broke my own rules…hummmmmmmm. Will keep an eye out on that.

Thanks for the great article!

Big hugs, big blessings MamaRed

February 24, 2012 at 11:51 am

MamaRed

Would be great if I could spell…sigh. How about “dumbing” instead of “dumming”!

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